


Hydrangea Flower

by NightmareMode



Category: One Piece
Genre: Angst, Drabble, F/M, One Piece - Freeform, Portgas D. Ace - Freeform, departure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-21
Updated: 2014-09-21
Packaged: 2018-02-18 05:26:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2336810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightmareMode/pseuds/NightmareMode
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Portgas D. Ace x Reader.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hydrangea Flower

_Hydrangea flower; thank you for understanding_

 

None of you had seen it coming. There had been no subtle hints that led up to the betrayal; no lingering looks made by the murderer that could have possibly hinted at what dark thoughts were rooting in his mind.

 

Blackbeard had performed the ultimate sin aboard the Moby Dick; he had slaughtered one of his comrades in cold blood, in order to obtain the Devil Fruit that had been claimed before he could get his grubby hands on it.

 

Thatch had been a dear friend to Ace, and to you as well. He always used to tease the two of you and pester you two about caring for one another, and now he was dead, just like that.

 

“Ace...” Your voice was cautious yet soft, and you approached the frowning man, who leaned on the balustrade of the ship, his usual warm eyes now cold and and filled with a blackened rage.

 

You knew what he was thinking, and you strode up behind him, wrapping your arms around his muscular frame as you pressed your cheek against his back that proudly displayed Whitebeard's insignia.

 

There was a long moment of silence between the two of you, and you closed your eyes slowly, bracing yourself for what you knew he was about to tell you.

 

“I have to go after him, [Name].” His voice was low but vehement as he stared out at the sea, his arms slowly slipping from the railing so that he could grasp onto your dainty arms that clung onto him from behind, silently begging him not to go.

 

“The old man said that it would be okay. Just this once, Ace. Please...”

 

Your voice was hardly a whisper, but Ace suddenly whirled around, gripping you by your shoulders firmly but carefully. He didn't want to hurt you, but the fire in his eyes was apparent, and it burned brighter than any of his fire fists that he was associated with.

 

“He was in my division, [Name]. He killed one of his friends! It's my duty to hunt him down and make sure he pays.” The fire user stated, and you looked up at him with wide, doe like eyes. You reached up, pressing your hand against his freckled cheek as a wind ruffled your [h/c] hair.

 

His eyes softened ever so slowly as he looked at you. You were beautiful to him, and he was equally beautiful to you.

 

“What if it had been you?”

 

The question was quiet, murmured on behalf of the fire user, but you heard it anyways, and it caught you off guard.

 

“Pardon?” You asked, your voice endearingly polite, and usually he would have smiled at this. But instead, Ace retained his serious features and slightly furrowed brow.

 

“What if it had been you that Teach had killed? Would you expect me to just stand idly by? Would your soul be able to rest with an eased mind if you knew that your killer was still out there, running free and not suffering for what he had done?”

 

The question caught you off guard, and your lips parted slightly and hung faintly ajar. How could you answer that sort of question? Of course you wouldn't want anyone who had killed you to run free. You didn't want Thatch's killer to run on the loose either, but if this whole wild goose chase wound up costing Ace his life, it wouldn't be worth it in the end.

 

“Ace, please...”

 

That was all the answer he needed. He knew you couldn't tell him yes, that you would be perfectly fine with your killer running amok, because it wasn't the truthful answer.

He pulled away from you suddenly, and you could feel your eyes tearing up a bit as you sighed.

 

“When do you plan on leaving...?” You mustered out faintly, your voice bereft of its usual joyful and warm tone. He paused, his eyes lifting to the clear sky for a moment, before his shoulders slumped as he heaved a sigh.

 

“Right now.” His words caused you to wince, and you lowered your gaze in order to hide the worried and tearful expression that now consumed your features.

 

A hand suddenly caressed your chin, and fingers gently tilted it up so that your [e/c] eyes met with the fire user's own determined eyes.

 

“Are you mad?” He asked, his voice calmer now as you shook your head, lowering your gaze.

 

No, you weren't mad. You would miss him and worry something terrible over him, but you knew that he would never forgive himself if he let Teach run free. You understood what he needed to do, and when you lifted your gaze back to meet his own, he could see it in your eyes.

 

His lips were like the flickering of flames against your own lips, his kiss a simmering ember that faded all too quickly. He had retreated, and you kept your eyes closed. You didn't want to open them; you didn't want to see him hopping ship into his small, fire powered boat that would carry him away.

 

“Wait for me, [Name]. I'll be back in no time.” Even without looking, you could hear the grin in his voice, and the sound of water splashing up and about as his boat began to zoom off, powered by his Devil Fruit.

 

The sound of his boat sailing away had long since faded, but yet you remained where you were, simply standing there with your eyes closed. You could see his face behind your eyelids-- his cheeky grin and passionate eyes. You could count the number of freckles that he had on his cheeks, could practically feel the sharp line of his jaw, and the fiery burn of his lips against yours.

 

Without a word, you slowly trailed into the interior of the large ship, passing by others who were completely oblivious to the fact that one of the division commanders had just left in search of the one who had killed Thatch.

 

You weren't really in the mood to talk, but you smiled in a softened, polite way to those who spoke to you before moving on your way. And when at last you reached the door to your room, you pushed it open and stepped inside, lighting a lone candle in order to see.

 

You were about to lay down, when an object left lying on your bed caught your attention. Furrowing your eyebrows, you lit a few more candles to properly illuminate it, and your eyes widened ever so slightly upon realizing what it was.

 

Flowers? What were flowers doing in your room?

 

Trailing over to them, you brushed the tip of your fingers against them as you took in the sight of them, before a small slip of paper attracted your gaze. You picked it up, slowly unfolding the note as you read it.

 

The handwriting wasn't by any means excessively neat, but you knew who it belonged to, and the words were written clearly enough on the paper.

 

Reaching up, you covered your mouth with your hand to muffle any sobs as a sudden wave of emotion hit you like a toxic tsunami, and your emotions clouded your thoughts and filled your lungs with poison it seemed. You read the note over and over again, and after about the tenth time, you couldn't help but to smile through your tears. He must have done this before speaking to you, and yet it seemed he had known exactly how you would react to what he had been planning.

 

You wiped at the moisture that welled in your eyes and streamed down your cheek, sighing a bit as you closed your eyes, inhaling the scent of the hydrangea flowers that you now held in your hand, the note fluttering down onto your bed. It faced up, and the words that were scribbled on there were as plain as day.

 

_Thank you for understanding._


End file.
